Hey! I've got garden beds that have some key plants / trees I want to keep, and others that I want to get rid of and replace with a lot of new planting. The garden beds are being invaded by weeds because I haven't mulched them in a while – all beds are like in the photo .. and I haven't mulched in a while because I want to put in drip irrigation..and I haven't put in irrigation because I haven't planted all the new plants.. (also new baby). SO, should I:
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weed, put down drip irrigation and mulch, then when spring comes, plant everything by removing the mulch, planting and then putting it back on; or
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weed, put down irrigation but don't mulch and continue to weed here and there until I plant in spring; or
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weed, put down irrigation, and plant everything now even though it's almost April for efficiency? or
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some other approach?
Melbourne based. The drip irrigation would just be a consistent set of rows across the garden beds. Any thoughts appreciated!!
by nope313
1 Comment
I’d be lasagne mulching if you’re planning for spring. Walk around your neighbourhood and look for palm fronds that are blocking walkways. Bring lots home.
Whippersnip the weeds you can reach without damaging desired plants.
Then lay a couple of layers of cardboard (no stickers or plastic) leaving no gaps. Cut up the palm fronds into manageable pieces, and mix with lawn clippings to put over the cardboard. Leave a gap around the trunks – dont bury any stems. It’s better to leave a few weeds that you can pull later.
Wait a couple months and it’ll have broken down substantially, and you can start planning to plant. If you wanna wait longer, put down bark chips over winter to continue suppressing the weeds.
Caution: Proteaceae family members (Banksia, grevillea, hakea, etc) are sensitive to phosphorous. I can’t remember ever lasagne mulching around one of them but something to keep an eye on. Im not sure how much phosphorous is in grass clippings, but I can’t imagine it’ll be an issue as I’ve mulch mowed next to Proteaceae at some sites for years.